Shannon is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Information Science at the University at Albany's College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.

What brought you to the Center for Technology in Government?

I have background as both a school and public librarian, so when I saw a position as a research assistant for the project exploring the role of public libraries in smart cities, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to learn how to conduct high quality research with an esteemed team, while also being able to give back to the research project with my own expertise. I also see a tie between the proposed study and my own research interests, which lie in exploring the effects of makerspaces on their users.

What did you do prior to coming to CTG?

I am a New York State Certified School Media Specialist at Yorktown High School in Westchester County. I am currently on sabbatical to pursue my PhD, with the intent to study makerspaces and their perceived effects on users. I am also an adjunct instructor for the University at Albany in the Information Science Department, as well as with the University of Wisconsin, Stout.

What are your plans/goals for the future?

I intend to study makerspaces and their effects on users to establish best practices for creating and maintaining makerspaces in schools, public libraries, museums and other community spaces in order to maximize cognitive, psychomotor and affective outcomes.

How can CTG help you reach your goal for the future?

In addition to allowing me to explore how my field, librarianship, can work with government and communities to enable cities to become “smarter,” this is also a great opportunity for me to work with a highly qualified and respected team to see how research is conducted before jumping in to my dissertation work.